Trace Crossings is 'elephant in the room' at Hoover school rezoning meeting

Hoover school rezoning meeting 10-19-15

At least 65 people showed up for the third preliminary Hoover school rezoning meeting at Deer Valley Elementary School in Hoover, Ala., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015.

Trace Crossings Elementary School was the “elephant in the room” tonight at the third of five preliminary meetings being held this month and next month to discuss Hoover school rezoning.

Numerous parents who came to the meeting at Deer Valley Elementary School complained about the possibility of their children being pulled out of Deer Valley to attend Trace Crossings, though many chose not to mention the Trace Crossings name.

They specifically chose to live in the Deer Valley school zone because Deer Valley has strong test scores and good ratings on websites that rate school systems, several parents said.

For example, Deer Valley is rated a 10 out of 10 on the GreatSchools website, while Trace Crossings is rated 5 out of 10.

Many parents expressed concerns about the traffic they would have to drive through to get to Trace Crossings, but Dhiraj Sharma, a Deer Valley parent who lives in Lake Cyrus, said he would drive to any part of town as long as the school provided a quality education. Parents are concerned about what their children would get at Trace Crossings, he said.

Another parent said Trace Crossings is underperforming for a reason, and parents are taking their children out of Trace Crossings for a reason. School officials need to address the root problem, several parents said.

Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy said Trace Crossings could be suffering from a perception problem.

“I think there are some perceptions that are out there, and I don’t think those perceptions are correct,” Murphy said. “There’s not a school in this district I would not put my children in.

“There are just some really great things happening in all of our schools. The same is true of Trace Crossings,” Murphy said.

Trace Crossings Elementary Sign

The sign at Trace Crosssings Elementary School in Hoover, Ala.

The superintendent said Trace Crossings Principal Carol Barber has worked gallantly to make improvements at her school, and Murphy said she is proud of the work being done there.

Another parent said perceptions are one thing, but facts are another, referring to standardized test scores. “It’s very clear what schools are performing better,” he said.

Barber, who was present at tonight’s meeting at Deer Valley, encouraged any parents who have concerns about the quality of education being offered there to visit the school instead of relying on website ratings.

“Sometimes test scores don’t accurately reflect everything that’s going on in that school,” Barber said. “I’m very proud of our teachers. I’m very proud of our staff. They do a phenomenal job.”

Robin Litaker, the former principal at Trace Crossings, has said the school over the past 15 years has gained a lot of students who moved to Hoover from lower-performing school systems. Teachers have been working hard to help students, many of whom are from lower-income families, improve, but over the years, test scores have fluctuated greatly.

The school took a big public relations hit in 2012 when it was one of three Hoover schools that failed to make “adequate yearly progress” according to state guidelines.

Math was identified as a as a problem area, particularly among black and low-income students. The percentage of Trace Crossings fourth-graders deemed proficient in math fell from 89 percent in 2011 to 54 percent in 2012. Fourth-grade math proficiency scores jumped back up the following year to 87 percent.

Litaker believes a test administration error didn’t give students enough time to finish the test, but a review by state officials found no test administration irregularities.

Newer test score data is not comparable to the old data because of changes in the test, and many school ranking websites rely on data that is two to three years old, Assistant Superintendent Ron Dodson said.

Meanwhile, the reputation at Trace Crossings has suffered, and some parents have moved or put their children in private schools.

Photo by Jon Anderson

Autumm Jeter 10-91-15

Autumm Jeter, a Deer Valley Elementary School parent who lives in the Lake Cyrus community in Hoover, Ala., talks to Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy during a meeting about school rezoning at Deer Valley on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015.

Deer Valley parents who live in the Lake Cyrus community said tonight it doesn’t make sense for them to have to drive their children to Trace Crossings because they have to pass either Deer Valley or South Shades Crest elementary schools to get there.

They encouraged Murphy to drive, during peak morning and afternoon times, the routes they would have to drive if their children were to be sent to Trace Crossings.

Parents from South Shades Crest Elementary two weeks ago asked Murphy to do the same. Murphy said tonight she already has driven in carpool traffic at three schools and pledged to do the same at others.

Other parents tonight asked Murphy to take into consideration that Lake Cyrus residents already had to change elementary schools when Deer Valley was built. Forcing them to change again when other schools haven’t had to change isn’t fair, one man said.

Murphy said she would do everything she can to be fair to every student in the Hoover school district, but fairness is often in the eye of the beholder.

Several parents encouraged school officials to crack down on students attending Hoover schools who don’t live in Hoover. Murphy said the Hoover school system has two men who work every day to verify students’ residency.

Tonight was the third of five preliminary meetings to discuss rezoning with the community. Two more are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 at Green Valley Baptist Church and 7 p.m. on Nov. 12 at Metropolitan Church of God.

Photo by Jon Anderson

Kathy Murphy 10-19-15

Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy talks to parents and community members during a meeting about school rezoning at Deer Valley Elementary School in Hoover, Ala., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015.

At each of the meetings, Murphy is explaining the reasons Hoover needs to redraw school zone lines and giving people a chance to share concerns and ask questions. There is no plan or maps to present yet, she said.

She hopes to have a plan ready to present to the public in January and will take more feedback. She then hopes to present a plan for the school board to consider in February or March and will ask the school board to vote on the plan in March or April, she said.

That way, parents will have as much notice as possible before a rezoning plan takes effect for the next academic year, she said.

“When this thing is over, not everyone is going to be happy,” she said. “It’s just something we have to do.”

In the end, she hopes to come up with something that meets the school district’s needs and keeps as many children as close to their homes as possible, she said.

Comments (3)

Trace IS the Place

I have to say that I am shocked that anyone wouldn't want to send their child to Trace Crossings. As a Samford University graduate I had the pleasure of spending time at Trace Crossings through a partnership that has been built between Samford and Trace. During my time at Trace Crossings I saw nothing short of excellence. Trace is an innovative school with technology use and STE(a)M education. They have always been dedicated to teaching and learning, especially since the leadership of Ms. Barber who is a phenomenal instructional leader.

I challenge reluctant parents to really take the time to get to know the current Trace Crossings. I absolutely understand that all families want what is right for their children, and I truly believe that if you are looking for the best a school can offer...Trace IS the place.

Jamie Underwoodmore than 3 years ago

Please stay away =)

As a VERY satisfied Trace Crossings parent, I would love nothing more than to keep our class sizes the way they are and, if I'm completely honest, keep other students from Deer Valley and South Shades Crest out of our school. We enjoy an amazing student to teacher ratio. We have specialized learning programs that no other school in this district has (to my knowledge). We have one of the best school administrators I have EVER had the privilege of knowing (Carol Barber). Before going to Trace, our three children were in a private school and doing very well. They tested well above average and often required individualized learning strategies to keep them engaged and challenged. Since going to Trace, we never saw a decline in the quality of education or the individualized attention to our children that the former private school provided. We almost didn't buy our house in Trace Crossings because of the score the school was given on the website that real estate search engines frequent. Luckily we heard from many people that it was most likely a "glitch" and if there was something wrong, they would be fixing it quickly. We feel like we won the lottery. We live in a great neighborhood, we got a great price for our house, the school is incredible and yet, people hold tightly to a false perception of the school we love (and have many great experiences to speak of). So I say, fine by us!!! Let's keep Trace Crossings the best kept secret in the district. If the parents from other schools want to keep their kids in an overcrowded situation and aren't willing to drive 10-15 minutes to a better situation - that's great!!! Don't rezone! Everybody gets what they want. =)

But seriously...the district is looking out for the needs of all children in the district. If they need to rezone, they'll do it carefully and with the bigger picture in mind. At the end of the day, the TCES family would happily make room for more students if that was the best thing for the school district. Yes, Trace has an unusually high number of children that come from home situations that make it harder for them to excel and test well. But if you take out the INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS test score anomaly in 2012, what you will see is that the faculty and staff of TCES has consistently overcome the challenges presented by students that come from families and situations that make learning more difficult. The test scores have been improving the past couple of years in spite of the MUCH higher ratio of students that shouldn't be scoring well on those tests. Simple math would tell you that the school has raised the bar for ALL students in spite of the challenges. If the average is in the 80's - that is AMAZING. That means that in spite of some students testing much lower than average, the rest of the students are testing very well to make up for it.

I can personally guarantee that all three of my children have received an EXCELLENT educational experience at Trace Crossings.

Ben Kuykendallmore than 3 years ago

Y'all be cray.

This article is almost laughable to me. We've been at TCE for three years and have honestly and truly been in awe at what an amazing school it is, from the administration to the teachers to programs offered. When I heard about the rezoning my initial thought was, "great! Finally more people will get to experience how awesome Trace is." A student in my son's class this year transferred to Trace from DVES, and yet another student transferred from South Shades Christian. The bad press is so 2012, friends. Please stop believing it! I fully understand, however, how traffic concerns would be a consideration with any school selection.